Pik Botha could be among those questioned by British =20 police when they arrive in South Africa to investigate =20 the bombing of ANC House, writes Marion Edmunds=20
BRITISH police will travel to South Africa next month =20 to question witnesses and suspects — including =20 “master” spy Craig Williamson — in the 1982 bombing of =20 ANC House in London. The probe could cause political =20 embarrassment among members of the old National Party =20
The 5kg bomb exploded on a Sunday morning in Islington =20 in the office of Gill Marcus — now an ANC MP and chair =20 of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance — =20 damaging the ANC’s media equipment but killing no one.=20
South African Police Service communication officer Reg =20 Crewe confirmed this week that two British police =20 officers would be conducting interviews with a range of =20 people, but he said it was up to the British police to =20 disclose details of a list of potential interviewees.=20
He did say, however, that a “provisional list of people =20 whose names appeared in both the British and South =20 African media, and who were allegedly involved or who =20 may have had some knowledge of this matter” had been =20 sent to SAPS last month in preparation for interviews.=20
Details of the old South African Police’s security =20 branch involvement in the bomb blast were publicly =20 revealed by Williamson earlier this year, when he =20 acknowledged his own involvement. He named his security =20 branch accomplices and described how ingredients for =20 the bomb had been smuggled to London by diplomatic bag.=20
Top former security branch members have told the Mail & =20 Guardian that it was likely that the State Security =20 Council (SSC), the Cabinet committee that managed the =20 security matters in the apartheid era, knew about the =20 plans to bomb ANC House. This means the British probe =20 could theoretically reach as high as former foreign =20 minister Pik Botha, a member of the SSC at the time — =20 something which would cause the National Party some =20
Former minister of law and order Louis le Grange and =20 former police commissioner Johan van der Merwe were =20 also said to have known about the plans.=20
Security branch accomplices named by Williamson are =20 former Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock, now on trial =20 on “third force” charges, warrant officer Jerry Raven -=20 – who was alleged to have set the bomb — Jimmy Taylor, =20 John Adam and Vic McPherson. Former security branch =20 operative Peter Casselton, who had been detained for a =20 while in Britain after the bombing, has also been named =20 independently as having been involved.=20
Despite confessing to involvement in this incident and =20 others, Williamson has yet to be interviewed by the =20 SAPS, which has been accused of dragging its feet in =20 similar investigations. Crewe said the SAPS would =20 interview Williamson with the London police.=20
Crewe said the British police’s first list was a =20 provisional one and that a final list was in the =20 process of being drafted. Scotland Yard would this week =20 only confirm it was “possible” that British police =20 might have to come to South Africa to investigate the =20 case, and claimed a decision had not yet been taken.=20
Interpol representatives in South Africa have denied =20 any knowledge of the visit or of the list of potential =20